Both the Western Infirmary and Gartnavel General Hospital's Medical Illustration Departments have been using digital cameras since 1998. This has led to a dramatic increase in the number of digital images held on the department's computers. As all digital files were named with a job number, consultant and department, searches carried out using other parameters was labour intensive. A new system of defining and organizing digital images across both departments was needed. This system needed to be efficient, flexible and easy to use. Choosing the right software was vital and it was decided that the only way to make an informed decision would be to test the three best software products to see how they compared.